I quit (shame) 2 years (and many, many hours) into my PhD because the long
lab hours didn't mesh well with my two growing boys. When my mother became
ill and required numerous trips to an out of town doctor, that was the last
straw. My Mom is fine now and I have a significant other in my life who is
willing to help with the boys (and finances), but I am loath to jump back
into it. I worked as a lab manager for a while, but the hours were long and
the pay little (major university). I am now employed as one of two
coordinators for a project teaching biotechnology principles and techniques
to high school biology teachers. Part of my job entails learning all I can
about using on-line research resources, and since computers became a hobby
during graduate school, I really enjoy it. I help the teachers every way I
can to learn to use computers in their classrooms, even though that wasn't
part of the original job description. I love what I'm doing, and, as an
ex-teacher, I really relate to these teachers. I'm not sure I'll go back
into research, but may pursue a PhD in Ed Tech instead. As moderator of a
newsgroup for our teachers, I have to research many interesting topics,
which I also enjoy. I'm really looking for a way I can combine by love of
computers and science and working with science teachers and make a permanent
career of it. We are currently on soft money, so there are no guarantees.
